How do you play midhigh pairs?

[purerealm]

Let's say you have pocket tens. One villain calls your PF raise, and one overcard appears on the flop. What's your play? Do you try to take the pot now with a pot sized raise or do you take a chance and make a smaller raise to see if he'll continue without defining your hand?

[empty]

I notice no one replied to this post, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's kind of a broad question, and there are alot of factors involved in these situations.

I like to be the aggressor. If I raised preflop, most of the time I'm betting the flop; at a least 3/4 pot bet.

It all depends on the flop. If there are no possible legit draws out there, take a stab. If it's a terrible flop for your hand, don't. For example, if you hold:

T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

You make the standard raise and get called OOP.

Flop: K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

I wouldn't suggest trying to take this pot. For the following reasons:
1. If you hit your 3rd T theres a 50% chance its a heart that can make a flush.
2. Your 3rd T can also make a straight.
3. Draws may call your flop bet, and then you don't have a clue if you're ahead or behind.
4. If he called a preflop raise, there's a good chance he has high cards. J and K are high cards.

Another example, you hold:

T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

You make the standard raise and get called OOP.

Flop: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

I would lead out at this pot everytime heads up.
1. There aren't any draws that will call you.
2. If he has high cards that don't include a K you will probably take this down.
3. If he has JJ/QQ he will probably lay down. (You were the aggressor preflop, he's giving you respect by just calling. The K will scare him if you put in a potsized bet)
4. Most of the time if you are beat, he will have AK and raise you, and then you get rid of the hand.
5. You maintain your aggressive image. If he goes over the top, you fold. Then when you raise with AK, flop comes xxK, make the same bet. Then you may get payed.

Summary of what I'm saying with these examples:

If you raise the pocketpair in position, and it is checked to you with an overcard on board, usually bet.

In general I don't suggest getting too much money involved with underpairs; play for set value. If you feel there is a good chance you will win the pot with a bet, bet at it. Just don't bet at flops with alot of drawing possibilities, or at a flop where if you hit your 2 outer it can make someone else a stronger hand.

Try not to raise small pairs OOP too much, you will find yourself in this situation too often. I suggest limping these hands OOP and raising them in position with little to no limpers.

Hope this helped, good luck to you.

[purerealm]

thanks a lot for the help. what does OOP stand for though?

[empty]

Sorry,

Out Of Position.

[nuSFwck]

It means Out of Position.

I agree with pretty much everything Empty has said. Raise and continuation bet with high pairs, limp with smaller.

The only time I would raise preflop with a wired pair smaller than 10's is in late position when it's folded around to me.

[DrLAXLAX]

In my experience pocket pairs are very easy to play. If you get pp 22 - 1010, i will allways limp with those pp and dont call big raises with them, only if there is more than 4 players involved. On flop, no set, no bet. Sometimes y can chase for REALY cheap. JJ are much difficult to play, becose there are so much hands (KQ, AQ, AK) people call raises with. In my experience I will never mary with hand JJ. In general no set, no bet. if you of course dont have very strong read of your opponent.